The AAP and Attachment Doll Play Assessment training certification program are available to psychologists, university researchers, licensed mental health professionals and graduate students in a mental health field receiving supervision who wish to integrate valid attachment assessments into their work. Training and certification are required to administer and score these measures. All training and events are in webinar format using Zoom.
Zoom webinar 27 February, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Pacific Time
Join Drs. Carol George, Steve Finn, and Melissa Lehmann for an enriching workshop that promises to deepen your understanding of attachment theory and its transformative applications in psychotherapy or assessment. Through engaging case examples and guided roleplays, you'll learn specific therapeutic techniques designed to guide clients toward "earned attachment security." The workshop is open to all mental health professionals who use other narrative tests (e.g., TAT, TCTS,RAT) to expand their toolkit.
4 CE credits (pending from Alliant University).
$325. Graduate students and SPA, TAI, and AAP consultation group members take advantage of special discounts. Additional $20 CE credit.
Request information or a registration form: Write to cygeorge@comcast.net or use the contact AAP button at the bottom of this page and request information - please specify the workshop name with your inquiry.
Zoom webinar 10 April, 1 - 5 p.m. Eastern Time 4 CE credits from Alliant University.
This workshop showcases theAAP as powerful tool in understanding patients with Posttraumatic StressDisorder (PTSD), devising a case conceptualization, and choosing among avariety of empirically based therapeutic (EBT) approaches for PTSD treatment. Dr. Aikins will briefly review the current diagnostic criteria and EBTapproaches for PTSD. Dr. Wargo Aikins will review why the use of the AAP and its coding is particularly valuable for understanding PTSD and the heterogeneity of underlying traumatic processes, emotion regulation difficulties, and defensive processes. Dr. Aikins will present both ongoing research regarding failed mourning and unresolved representations in a sample of treatment seeking PTSD Veterans and case examples of how the AAP provided a significant therapeutic impact by incorporating an attachment lens into his use of EBTs including Interpersonal Therapy. A new case in which only the AAP has been completed will be used during the workshop so that participants can think together about how Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Interpersonal Therapy can be tailored with this patient’s models of attachment and defenses in mind.
Participants with some experience or training in the AAP will get the most out of this workshop. Providers with a background in EBTs for PTSD will also benefit from this workshop, even without training in the AAP. It will be useful to clinicians who not only use the AAP, but also those who use other narrative tests such as the TAT, TCTS, RAT, or EMP.
Cost: $325, Graduate students and SPA, TAI, and AAP consultation group members take advantage of special discounts. Additional $20 CE credit.
Request information or a registration form: Write to julie.aikins@gmail.com or use the contact AAP button at the bottom of this page. Please specify the workshop name with your inquiry.
Zoom webinar 15 May 2026 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time
This collaborative integrative workshop presents a unique opportunity to delve into the application of the AAP. Led by Carol George and Melissa Lehmann, participants will gain invaluable insights into case consultation, followed by collaborative small group discussions that encourage a rich exchange of ideas and foster community among mental health practitioners. This practical workshop deepens clinical understanding of the intricate challenges associated with failed mourning and equips participants with actionable strategies for assessment and intervention. By mastering the AAP and its application in complex client scenarios, attendees will enhance their professional expertise and ultimately improve outcomes for their clients, making this workshop an essential step in advancing one's clinical skills and understanding of attachment theory and helping clients mourn attachment trauma.
4 CE credits (pending from Alliant University).
$325. Graduate students and SPA, TAI, and AAP consultation group members take advantage of special discounts. Additional $20 for CE credit
Request information or a registration form: Write to cygeorge@comcast.net or use the contact AAP button at the bottom of this page and request information - please specify the workshop name with your inquiry.
Zoom webinar 11 September 2026 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time
Are you contemplating using the AAP in your clinical practice or research? If you’re a psychologist, licensed professional, or graduate student in mental health or development, this is your chance to dive deep into a developmentally oriented method of assessing attachment. Attachment patterns begin in infancy and stability and change in these patterns resonate throughout our lives. By attending this workshop, you will gain an overview oft he AAP coding and classification system, equipping you with the tools to think about how to evaluate the complexity of attachment in adolescents and adults. Examples using AAP stories reveal how the AAP can unlock not only defensive processes but also often hidden layers of attachment trauma and internalized shame. Prior knowledge of attachment theory is beneficial but not required, making this workshop accessible to everyone. Take the first step in learning how the AAP can enhance your clinical practice and research and prepare participants to register in a future AAP training.
4 CE credits (pending from Alliant University).
$325. Graduate students and SPA, TAI, and AAP consultation group members take advantage of special discounts. Additional $20 for CE credit
Request information or a registration form: Write to cygeorge@comcast.net or use the contact AAP button at the bottom of this page and request information - please specify the workshop name with your inquiry.
Zoom webinar. 30 CE credits from Alliant University. Registration payment plans available. Registration is limited to 12. All times are listed in the Central Standard Time.
Schedule: 3 October 2026, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Attendance is required. Attachment theory and the AAP. This workshop lays the theoretical foundation for coding, classification, and interpretation of the AAP.
Coding and Classification Webinar
Part 1: Coding and classification. 9 - 12 October 2026, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily.
Part 2: Case classification. 17 and 19 October, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Instructor: Melisssa Lehmann
Early bird registration deadline: 3 September 2026
Enrollment limited to 12 persons.
Request information or a registration form: Write to cygeorge@comcast.net or use the contact AAP button at the bottom of this page
Zoom webinar. Contact Dr. Anna Buchheim for more information: Anna.Buchheim@uibk.ac.at
Zoom webinar. Contact Dr. Claudia Mazzeschi claudia.mazzeschi@unipg.it or Dr. Elisa Delvechio elisa.delvecchio@unipg.it for more information:
The AAP training and certification program makes the AAP available to a range of researchers, licensed psychologists, and graduate students in clinical programs who wish to integrate valid developmental adult attachment assessment into their work. Training and certification are required to administer and score the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System. Trainees must complete all training sessions in order to be eligible for certification. View the AAP training schedule and locations for additional information. Trainings in non-English languages are specified.
AAP Training registration fees include webinar seminars, all training materials, a set of practice cases, and reliability training for 1 year following training. Continuing education credit is available for some trainings. All trainings are currently in English, German, and Italian. Check the training schedule for details.
In some years, we also offer training in the Attachment Doll Play Assessment for use with children ages 4.5-12 years (see e.g., Solomon, George, & De Jong, 1995). See training schedule for details. Materials and reliability are similar to the AAP. Contact Carol George for more information – cygeorge@comcast.net.
Who Should Attend?
Mental health and medical professionals and graduate students (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, medical doctors, nurses).
What Background in Attachment Theory and Research is Required?
No extensive background in attachment theory is required. The first day of the training seminar presents the foundations of attachment theory and assessment needed to be successful with the AAP.
How Do I Get Reliability Certification for the AAP or Attachment Doll Play Assessment?
Individuals who complete the training seminar are eligible for certification as an AAP judge. Certified judges complete reliability with at least an 80% success rate for identifying attachment classification group on a standardized set of AAP cases. A practice case set is provided following training to gain more experience prior to embarking on the reliability process. The average length of time to reach reliability certification is 1 year, although a significant number of trainees who began reliability immediately following training achieve certification in 3-6 months. Reliability is done on an individual basis at the pace of the trainee. The reliability period included in the registration fee extends for 1 year following training.
Once reliability is achieved, individuals are certified to code and analyze AAPs for use with their clients, for others in their clinic, or research projects under their direct supervision. Reliable judges are eligible to become “master judges” so as to code for others outside of their own immediate clinical or research projects. For more information about certification, please send your inquiry by email to Carol George, Ph.D.
What is a Master Judge?
Master judges are certified to identify at a 90% match rate on all AAP coding and classification. Master judges are available to help individuals who have attended an AAP training but who have not completed or chose not to complete reliability, yet want to use the AAP in their professional work. There are master judges in English, French, Italian, German, and Dutch. For more information about contacting a master judge, please send your inquiry by email to Carol George, Ph.D. AAPinfo@comcast.net.
What are the Training Costs and How Do I Register?
The registration form has all the information about costs and registration. Registration discounts are available for early registrants, graduate students, and for groups of 3 or more from a single group or institution (U.S. training only). Contact Carol George, Ph.D. for additional information about training outside of the US.
“I find the information from the AAP to be tremendously useful for the professionals involved in working with adolescents. Many parents and foster parents only see the problem behaviors, and having a more contextualized understanding of the function of behavior can help them become more compassionate and flexible in their reactions and interactions.”
~ Linda Webster, Ph.D., University of the Pacific, CA
“This splendid, important book is grounded in a strong theory and infused with creativity. It presents an assessment method that is user friendly and economical, validated in clinical and community samples, and confirmed by neurobiological research. The book uses many case examples to illustrate adults’ representations of attachment patterns. For graduate students, it is a guide to thinking beyond existing methods when asking new questions. For professionals in clinical and research settings, it opens a window to unconscious relationship biases.”
~ Karin Grossmann, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Germany
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The AAP training and certification program makes the AAP available
to a range of researchers, licensed psychologists, and graduate students in clinical programs who wish to integrate valid developmental adult attachment assessment into their work. Training and certification are required to administer and score the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System. Trainees must complete all
training sessions in order to be eligible for certification. View the AAP
training schedule and locations for additional information. Trainings
in non-English languages are specified.
AAP Training registration fees include webinar seminars, all training
materials, a set of practice cases, and reliability training for 1 year
following training. Continuing education credit is available for some
trainings. All trainings are currently in English, German, and Italian.
Check the training schedule for details.
In some years, we also offer training in the Attachment Doll Play
Assessment for use with children ages 4.5-12 years (see e.g.,
Solomon, George, & De Jong, 1995). See training schedule for
details. Materials and reliability are similar to the AAP. Contact
Carol George for more information – cygeorge@comcast.net.
Who Should Attend?
Mental health and medical professionals and graduate students (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, medical doctors, nurses).
What Background in Attachment Theory and Research is Required?
No extensive background in attachment theory is required. The first day of the training seminar presents the foundations of attachment theory and assessment
needed to be successful with the AAP.
How Do I Get Reliability Certification for the AAP or Attachment Doll Play Assessment?
Individuals who complete the training seminar are eligible for certification as an AAP judge. Certified judges complete reliability with at least an 80% success rate for identifying attachment classification group on a standardized set of AAP cases. A practice case set is provided following training to gain more experience prior to embarking on the reliability process. The average length of time to reach reliability certification is 1 year, although a significant number of trainees who began reliability immediately following training achieve certification in 3-6 months. Reliability is done on an individual basis at the pace of the trainee. The reliability period included in the registration fee extends for 1 year following training.
Once reliability is achieved, individuals are certified to code and analyze AAPs for use with their clients, for others in their clinic, or research projects under their direct supervision. Reliable judges are eligible to become “master judges” so as to code for others outside of their own immediate clinical or research projects. For more information about certification, please send your inquiry by email to Carol George, Ph.D.
What is a Master Judge?
Master judges are certified to identify at a 90% match rate on all AAP coding and classification. Master judges are available to help individuals who have attended an AAP training but who have not completed or chose not to complete reliability, yet want to use the AAP in their professional work. There are master judges in English, French, Italian, German, and Dutch. For more information about contacting a master judge, please send your inquiry by email to Carol George, Ph.D. AAPinfo@comcast.net.
What are the Training Costs and How Do I Register?
The registration form has all the information about costs and registration. Registration discounts are available for early registrants, graduate students, and for groups of 3 or more from a single group or institution (U.S. training only). Contact Carol George, Ph.D. for additional information about training outside of the US.
“I find the information from the AAP to be tremendously useful for the professionals involved in working with adolescents. Many parents
and foster parents only see the problem behaviors, and having a
more contextualized understanding of the function of behavior can
help them become more compassionate and flexible in their
reactions and interactions.”
~ Linda Webster, Ph.D., University of the Pacific, CA
“This splendid, important book is grounded in a strong theory and infused with creativity. It presents an assessment method that is user friendly and economical, validated in clinical and community samples, and confirmed by neurobiological research. The book uses many case examples to illustrate adults’ representations of attachment patterns. For graduate students, it is a guide to thinking beyond existing methods when asking new questions. For professionals in clinical and research settings, it opens a window to unconscious relationship biases.”
~ Karin Grossmann, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Germany